I’m the king of the sunbed hoggers – this is how I always get the best loungers…if you snooze you lose
A BRITISH tourist has revealed how he always hogs the best sunbeds abroad – and tells others: “If you snooze you lose”.
Johnny Seifert is a self-proclaimed “sun lounger stealer” and has honed his skills over 15 years of visiting the same hotel in Gran Canaria.
The defiant holidaymaker shrugged off controversy over sunbed wars in sunshine resorts, insisting he is only making sure his family has a good time together.
And he now he has shared his top tips for bagging the best spots with The Sun Online.
He said: “My first top tip is to get your deck chairs at about 7.30 in the morning.
“It’s likely the pool attendants would have cleaned the floor around that time and would have moved all the chairs ready for the day.”
Johnny stressed that people are still usually asleep at this time as in most all inclusive resorts, breakfast is served around 8.30am.
He added: “And choose the deck chairs that you like most on day one and then get them every single day.”
The sunbed hogger also revealed a secret hack for bagging the bed that will help you get the best tan.
He recommended picking sunbeds that had enough space to be turned around so throughout the day you can position it to face the sun.
“So of you’re in a group of four or five, just make sure you have space to turn all five chairs around and have that area as yours,” he said.
But with sunbed wars often becoming notoriously out-of-hand, Johnny explained that there’s a way you can claim your deckchair and keep it untouched.
“Put down a jacket or a t-shirt or a book, and open the book and leave it upside down, and it’ll show that you were just there and you’re coming back.
“Packing clothes pegs can also help keep your towels and t-shirts in place and stop them from flying away”, he added.
Johnny also gave The Sun Online some advice for first time sunbed hoggers who may be new to the art.
“When you first get to the hotel, you want to look at where the deckchairs are positioned and look at where you’d want to sit.
“Also, get an idea for where people are sitting and what types of people they are, is it full of really young families, middle aged couples, teenagers?
“Then you can decide if you’d fit in near them,” he advised.
Johnny urged travellers to really think about their positioning if they’re on a cruise ship too as there are multiple decks to choose from.
“You’ll have the front deck, the top deck, which is the quiet deck, away from all the people, all the noise, if that’s what you’re looking for”.
He also recommends beginners to get fully prepared for the dash the night before.
“If you’re going to get the chairs in one go, make sure you’ve got everyone’s towels and double towels, jackets and t-shirts ready the night before”.
As well as the physical prep for the mad sunbed steal, Johnny said that researching the hotel deckchair rules is also a must.
“Just make sure that you know all the rules around what you’re allowed to eat and not eat at the pool,” he said, “because sometimes you can take outside food and sometimes you can’t – so be careful”.
This comes after another proud hotel sunbed hogger revealed her clever tricks to nab all the best lounging spots – but some people call her selfish.